Could (or Would) the Dolphins Trade into Round 1?
Mock draft season is in full swing and almost as prevalent are proposed trades involving draft picks.
Some of those trades are rumors, others pure speculation.
One of those suggested trades was revealed over the weekend by CBS Sports and it involved the Miami Dolphins, and it most definitely was interesting.
In speculating about the Detroit Lions and the idea they would want to move one of their two first-round picks, Nos. 6 and 18, with an eye toward the future, writer Jeff Kerr came up with this trade scenario: The Dolphins get the 18th overall pick for their 2024 first-round pick and their 2023 sixth-round selection (197th overall).
"This is a huge gamble by the Lions, yet an opportunity to have two first-round picks in 2024 — stockpiling future assets," Kerr wrote. "The Dolphins only have four picks in this year's draft, and don't have a first-round pick because they forfeited the selection. Why not take advantage of the situation and just trade the pick away to a team like Miami and get their first-round pick for next season in return?
"The Dolphins are likely to be a playoff team in 2023, so trading the pick for a potential selection lower than No. 18 in 2024 is a gamble. That's why the Lions need to ask for a good faith payment in one of the Dolphins picks (that's where the sixth-round pick comes in). Miami won't give up its third-round pick (No. 84), but Detroit could be greedy and ask."
With all due respect to Kerr, his trade as presented is one we do not EVER imagine the Lions would even contemplate and one the Dolphins would jump at the chance to consummate because the compensation is laughable.
A sixth-round pick to get a first-round pick one year early? When chances are the Dolphins first-round pick in 2024 will be lower than 24 based on their playoff appearance of last season? Yes please.
Now, if the Lions did consider something like this and did get greedy and ask for the Dolphins' third-round pick, that would be a much different story and one that would give the Dolphins reason to pause or maybe even decline the offer.
SHOULD (OR WOULD) THE DOLPHINS MAKE A MOVE TO GET BACK INTO ROUND 1?
The Dolphins, of course, are without a first-round pick (along with a 2024 third-round selection) because of the NFL sanction for finding them guilty of tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton and because of the November trade that brought edge defender Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos.
No doubt, it's frustrating for the Dolphins to face a second consecutive draft without a first-round pick because of the NFL sanctions and it could be argued these were overly harsh, but that's another discussion for another time.
As a result of those sanctions and the trade they made — not only for Chubb, but for Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey and Jeff Wilson Jr. — the Dolphins had an NFL-low four 2023 draft picks as of Tuesday morning.
But those trades indicate the Dolphins are in win-now mode and going for it big after producing three consecutive winning seasons and making the playoffs in 2022 for the first time in six years.
Based on their salary-cap situation and the fact they have QB Tua Tagovailoa under contract at a very cheap price for the next two seasons, it absolutely makes sense for the Dolphins to make another bold move and pick up that missing first-round pick — if it doesn't entail making too much of a sacrifice down the line.
Some kind of sacrifice absolutely will be necessary to make the move into Round 1 — unless the Dolphins get the kind of fabulous offer as suggested by CBS Sports.
It should be noted the Dolphins already are without picks in the third and fourth rounds next year because in addition to the forfeited pick in Round 3, they sent their pick in Round 4 as part of the Chubb trade.
That leaves Miami with limited maneuverability to make a move, but as they say, when there's a will, there's a way.
Of course, pulling off any kind of trade requires a second team willing to make that kind of deal, and maybe the Lions are that team. Or it could be another team.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the 30th pick in the first round along with the 10th selection and it's a team that's been very willing to make trades, so perhaps they're a potential partner.
As to which player would prompt the Dolphins to make this kind of move, it probably makes more sense to look at the positions of immediate need for an immediate-impact prospect, and those would include tight end, tackle, linebacker or maybe safety, with running back Bijan Robinson as another name to remember given how special he's considered as a prospect.
Now, the Dolphins also very well might end staying put with their two second-day picks (51 and 84) or they might even trade down to accumulate more picks. In fact, it's probably more likely to happen than a trade into the first round.
When GM Chris Grier conducts his annual pre-draft press conference, if he's asked about the idea of trading into the first round, you can bet (it's pretty much lock) that he'll consider anything and everything if it can help the team.
And he's right. Nothing should be dismissed as an idea, including that bold move back into Round 1.
WHAT CHRIS GRIER SAID ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF TRADING INTO THE FIRST ROUND
When GM Chris Grier conducted his pre-draft press conference Wednesday, the idea of moving up into the first round came toward the latter part of the media session, and his immediate reaction was to joke that he had been waiting for that question.
But then Grier basically backed up our point that, yes, everything is on the table for the Dolphins, including trading into the first round.
"We’ve had a couple of teams in the bottom half of the first round reach out, saying they would be interested in coming down possibly if their guys aren’t there, and if we’d be interested in moving," Grier said. "So for us, again, any opportunities we can to get a player, we’ll look at it. So no serious conversations, but we’ve had those and we’ll keep those options open.”
